How often do you wash your dog? For us, it’s usually monthly but sometimes two months. In reality, there is no reason to bathe the dog except to make him or her smell better. In the wild, canines don’t bathe at all. However, domesticated animals can’t live in our homes and smell like a skunk. Most dogs are perfectly happy to avoid a bath and bath time often puts stress on the owner and the pup.

So how often should you bathe your dog? Many vets recommend that you wash a dog with normal skin once a month. Doing so more often will cause your dog’s skin to become dry. But what do you do when Fido starts to smell a bit ripe before the monthly scheduled bath? Use dry shampoo.

Supplies

The ingredients to make dry shampoo are simple. It's basically corstarch and baking soda. The cornstarch helps absorb oil and the baking soda deodorizes.

• 1 cup of cornstarch
• 1 cup of baking soda
• essential oil (optional)
• an empty spice container
• funnel

Add the baking soda and cornstarch to the plastic spice container.

Add a few drops of essential oils to the mixture. You can use whatever fragrance you like. The essential oil is solely used to add a pleasant smell. Don’t go overboard; essential oils are strong and a little goes a long way. Replace the lid and give the bottle a gentle shake to mix.

How to Use Dry Shampoo

Sprinkle a liberal amount of the shampoo on your dog’s coat. Shield the face, especially the nose and eyes, when sprinkling it on. Rub the dry shampoo into the coat until it reaches the skin. If your dog gets up and shakes a bit, that’s fine. The shaking will help remove the excess powder. Brush your dog thoroughly to get the rest of the shampoo off of the fur. This may take a few minutes. Rub your dog down with a clean towel to get the rest of the shampoo residue off the coat. Viola! Your dog smells pleasant again.

You can use the dry shampoo weekly if needed. Just make sure after each application you get as much off their fur as you can. Daily brushings will help keep your dog's natural oils evenly distributed, thus making it less likely the dog's skin with dry out.  Give your furbaby a cookie for being a good sport and feel free to snuggle with your fresh-smelling pet.